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Tiny primate (re)discovered in the mountains of Indonesia

Tiny primate rediscovered 80 years after it was thought to be extinct http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1087211/Tiny-primate-rediscovered-80-years-thought-extinct.html Anthropologist Discovers Long-Lost Primate http://dmc-news.tamu.edu/templates/?a=6991&z=15 "Extinct" Primate Found in Indonesia http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081117-tarsier-photo-missions.html Primate disease field guide covers critical gap in global health http://www.physorg.com/news146234280.html Philippine Tarsier http://www.bohol.ph/article15.html Scientists around the world are still attempting to catalog thousands of species of insects and plant life that remain little known, and in many cases, poorly understood. By the 20th century, it became increasingly rare to discover new species of primates. Interestingly enough, a team of researchers located a seemingly lost species of tarsier this week, which hadn't been seen since the 1920s. The team of researchers from Texas A&M University was doing work in and around the mountaintop forests of Indonesia when they came across several pygmy tarsiers. It would be more accurate to say that they didn't so much come across these tiny creatures, as much as they were able to trap two males and one female using mist nets. The animal is a tremendously odd looking creature, as it has huge eyes, very dense fur, and a facial expression that seems to indicate a permanent smile. The hope now is that the Indonesian government will step up its efforts to protect these very curious and very rare creatures. The first link will lead visitors to a piece from this Tuesday's Globe and Mail about this recent exciting discovery. The second link leads visitors to additional coverage on this find, courtesy of this Tuesday's Daily Mail. Moving along, the third link leads to a press release from Texas A&M University that includes a short video clip of the pygmy tarsiers in their native environment. The fourth link leads to another nice piece from National Geographic that talks a bit more about the pygmy tarsier. For a look at the broader picture, the fifth link leads to a news release from Emory University, which talks about new work being done on the study of primate infectious disease. It is hoped that such work will inform humans' ability to predict epidemics. Finally, the last link will take users to information about the Philippine tarsier, which is an equally curious animal that resides on several of the Philippine's larger islands.
Alternate Title
Scientists rediscover pocket-sized primate
Scout Publication
Date Issued
November 21st, 2008
Language
Date of Scout Publication
November 21st, 2008
Date Of Record Creation
November 21st, 2008 at 10:06am
Date Of Record Release
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:19pm
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